Search for remains of missing pregnant woman ends
The search for the remains of a pregnant Irish woman in County Offaly has come to an end.
Fiona Pender was last seen at about 06:00 on 23 August 1996 at her flat on Church Street, Tullamore.
Gardaí (Irish police) say their investigation into the murder of the 25 year old is ongoing but the results of the searches are not being released for operational purposes.
Ms Pender's family have been updated, police added.
Since Monday morning gardaí searched a small remote area at Graigue, near Killeigh village, just off the main road between Tullamore and Portlaoise.
The investigation has been reclassified as a murder investigation based on the entirety of the information available to investigators.
Ms Pender went missing in a decade when a number of other young women also disappeared without trace in the same province of Leinster.
But police sources have always indicated that they do not believe her disappearance was linked to any of the other cases.
Over the last 28 years, gardaí have conducted significant inquiries and what they describe as a sustained investigation.
Investigators say they have collated thousands of documents and reports, taken more than 300 statements of evidence and retained a number of exhibits.
A number of extensive searches have also been carried out.
According to police, five people have been arrested and detained in connection with this investigation.
No one has been brought to justice for her disappearance.
Ms Pender was described as 5'5" in height, with long blonde hair and she was wearing bright coloured clothing and white leggings when she went missing.
At the time of her disappearance she was seven months pregnant.
Gardaí has issued a fresh appeal for anyone who may have information about the case to come forward.
They have also appealed to anyone who has previously come forward but felt at the time they could not provide police with all the information about Ms Pender's disappearance.
Missing pregnant woman investigation upgraded to murder
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Trove of documents in alleged MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia's high-profile deportation case released
A small trove of unsealed court documents in the high-profile deportation case against alleged MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released Wednesday — after the Trump administration argued its unveiling posed a threat to national security. The handful of filings, which offered few new details, were made public by US District Judge Paula Xinis after The Post and other outlets fought for access. While the documents, some of which contained redactions, mostly outlined widely known information, they also provided some background on Sen. Chris Van Hollen's heavily criticized trip to El Salvador to advocate for the illegal migrant's release from the country's notorious megaprison and return to the US. Advertisement 5 Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant erroneously deported to El Salvador. via REUTERS Documents showed that El Salvador's government contacted the US ambassador to the Central American nation on April 17 to arrange the meeting at the request of the Maryland Democrat. The pair met later that day, with Van Hollen sharing photos of the Salvadoran migrant on social media. Advertisement El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, at the time, quipped on X that Abrego Garcia, who had been living in the Old Line State when he was deported, had 'miraculously risen from the 'death camps' and 'torture,'' and was 'sipping margaritas' with the lawmaker in country's 'tropical paradise.' 5 Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen shakes hands with deported Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia. X account of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele/AFP via Getty Images Other documents revealed a Justice Department request for a one-week delay to disclose information to a Maryland court regarding efforts to facilitate the purported MS-13 member's release from Salvadoran custody. Abrego Garcia, 29, was shipped off with other reputed gang members to El Salvador's hellhole lockup CECOT in March after President Trump invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act. Advertisement 5 Aerial view of the Santa Ana Penitentiary Agricultural Industrial Complex in El Salvador. AFP via Getty Images He was transferred to a lower-security facility shortly after the infamous meet-up with Van Hollen, court filings showed. The Supreme Court has since ordered the White House to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return. 5 The Trump administration has repeatedly defied court orders to return Abrego Garcia to the US. AP Advertisement But the Trump administration has repeatedly defied those orders, arguing that they have no power to bring the husband and father-of-three back to the US – despite admitting he was booted from the country as a result of an administrative error. Abrego Garcia's deportation also went against a 2019 order blocking the feds' ability to remove him to El Salvador on the grounds that he was at risk of retaliation from gangs. 5 Photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his family. GoFundMe Federal officials have defended Abrego Garcia's deportation, citing his alleged role in MS-13's 'western clique,' and purported ties to human trafficking. He was also previously accused of physically abusing his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, a US citizen who has been fiercely pushing for his return.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Witness testifies that Diddy dangled her over apartment balcony
Graphic designer Bryana Bongolan testified that Sean "Diddy" Combs once dangled her off a 17th floor apartment balcony, and that she saw him throw a knife at her friend Casandra Ventura. On Wednesday, prosecutors displayed photos taken by Ms Bongolan and her then-girlfriend of Ms Bongolan's bruises, which she claimed she sustained during the alleged 2016 incident. Combs' attorneys worked to cast doubt on Ms Bongolan's credibility before the jury under intense cross-examination, during which she responded that she could not recall past statements she gave the government. Combs faces charges of racketeering, conspiracy and sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty. The federal case, now in its fourth week of testimony, followed dozens of civil lawsuits filed against him by men and women accusing him of abuse, including both Ms Ventura, who is Combs' ex-girlfriend, and Ms Bongolan. Ms Bongolan said she met Ms Ventura in 2014 when she worked for the brand, Young and Reckless. Later, as the head women's designer at Diamond Supply Co., she was assigned to work with Ms Ventura on creating a collection and the two became close. Ms Bongolan testified they often took drugs like cocaine, ketamine and marijuana together. She later alleged that she procured drugs for Ms Ventura, and that the R&B singer paid her for them. She also acknowledged that she and Ms Ventura had a "problem" with drug use, but that she was currently sober. Ms Bongolan testified that during the friendship, she saw signs of Combs' alleged violence. She said once saw Ms Ventura on FaceTime with a black eye, and that the rapper would often pound on Ms Ventura's apartment door at night. In September 2016, Ms Bongolan testified that she heard banging on Ms Ventura's front door when she and her girlfriend were sleeping on the couch. She hid her girlfriend in a bathroom and went to the balcony, then Mr Combs entered the apartment, and allegedly picked her up and lifted her onto the ledge, she told the court. She said he repeatedly yelled, "You know what the (expletive) you did", and then threw her into the balcony furniture. Prosecutors showed the jury photos of a puncture and bruise on Ms Bongolan's leg, along with accompanying metadata displaying the date they were taken. She also testified she suffered night terrors and paranoia as a result of the evening. In another incident she described, Combs burst into Ms Ventura's apartment and allegedly threw a knife at the R&B singer. Ms Bongolan said Ms Ventura picked the knife up and threw it back. Neither of them was injured, she said. Once during a photoshoot in Malibu with Ms Ventura, Ms Bongolan alleged that Mr Combs got in her face and told her, "I'm the devil and I could kill you". "I was terrified," she told the court. During cross examination, Mr Combs' defence attorney sought to undercut Ms Bongolan, who struggled to answer questions about her statements in previous meetings with prosecutors. Nicole Westmoreland repeatedly asked Ms Bongolan about what she told government prosecutors when she first met with them in January 2024. Several times, she asked her about the alleged balcony incident, but the witness struggled to recall details she described at the initial meeting. During her testimony two weeks ago, Ms Ventura, the prosecution's key witness told the court, "I saw him bring her back over the railing of the balcony and then throw her onto the patio furniture." Ms Westmoreland also asked Ms Bongolan about her initial account of the incident in Malibu. The defence attorney said Ms Bongolan originally told government prosecutors that Combs made that threat at a party, and Ms Bongolan testified she could not recall that conversation. As the afternoon wore on, Ms Bongolan increasingly repeated that she could not recall details of previous conversations with prosecutors. At one point, Ms Westmoreland asked Ms Bongolan to recall her conversations with prosecutors two days prior. Asked about specifics, Ms Bongolan answered that she could not remember. The court also heard on Wednesday from forensic video editor Frank Piazza, who took the jury through recordings of the "Cassie video", which shows Mr Combs beating Ms Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016. He explained that the recordings were untampered with and were an accurate depiction. Ms Bongolan is expected to return to the stand Thursday. She will likely be followed by "Jane", whose testimony under a pseudonym could take several days. What is Sean 'Diddy' Combs charged with and how long will his trial last? Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces new charges of sex trafficking and prostitution Kid Cudi testifies at Diddy trial about Molotov cocktail attack Kid Cudi testifies at Diddy trial about Molotov cocktail attack
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
South Minneapolis protests after federal law enforcement activity; Jim Marshall dies at 87
🚔 A heavy federal law enforcement presence in South Minneapolis conducted what the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office described as an execution of a search warrant as part of a criminal investigation. (MPR News) Protestors gathered, believing the action was an immigration raid. Though some officers wore ICE badges, local officials said the search wasn't related to immigration enforcement. 🏈 Legendary Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall died at 87 after a lengthy hospital stay. (Star Tribune) 🍻 Long-running downtown Minneapolis Irish pub Dan Kelly's closed Saturday, with the owner citing fewer office workers, safety concerns and a tough labor market. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)
